10/27/2025
Great read on the gi tract. This is why they must have constant grazing and chewing...look at how far it would go if we stretched it out!
A horse's full intestines can weigh over 100 pounds (45 kg), with the large intestine alone potentially accounting for that entire weight when full of feed.
The total weight depends on the horse's size and what it has recently consumed.
Key components of the equine digestive tract include:
Total capacity: The entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract of a fed, mature horse can hold nearly 50 gallons (190 liters) of fluid and feed.
Hindgut weight: The hindgut (cecum and colon) accounts for approximately 64% of the empty weight of the GI tract. This is the area where fiber fermentation occurs.
Large intestine capacity: The large intestine is a significant contributor to the total weight of the full intestines.
It can hold 80 liters (21 gallons) or more of food and water.
When filled with feed, it can weigh up to 100 pounds (45 kg).
Cecum capacity: The cecum, a comma-shaped organ on the right side of the abdomen, can hold up to 30 liters (about 8 gallons) of food and water.
Another thing to consider in our horses is that the small intestines is suspended via the mesentry to the vertebral column of the lumbar. The lumbar is one of the last places to mature in horses and is susceptible to problems. Lumbar pain is a common site of dysfunction in horses I see for several reasons…..that is another post!
Below is just the intestinal tract from a 15hh horse, in a dissection it takes 4 people to comfortably carry this all out on a tarpaulin.
Below is a link to whole collection of videos on the intestinal tract.
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1804697t
